LAUSR

The amount and biodegradability of oil-degrading bacteria in seawater should be augmented to improve the biodegradation of marine petroleum hydrocarbons. This study investigated the degradation of petroleum-degrading bacteria (P1) with biosurfactant-producing bacteria (B2) and its mechanism. Two groups of experiments that consist of P1 with and without B2 were designed. The degradation performance and surface characteristics of the bacteria and the degradation path of diesel were studied. The degradation rate in the group of P1 with B2 was 82.65%, which was higher than that without B2, after 12 days. The analysis of surface characteristics showed that a high hydrophobicity enabled diesel to be accessible to cells. Meanwhile, the addition of B2 increased the contact area between bacteria and diesel, which was favorable to bioaugmentation degradation. The diesel degradation paths included surface adsorption, cell uptake, and biodegradation. The first step of diesel degradation was a rapid surface adsorption...